Spotlight on Philanthropy: Daniel Solomon

I believe that the essence of philanthropy
is taking care of your neighbor. Everyone
should be involved in philanthropy at
whatever level is appropriate for them.
Many more people can
give away $20 than
can give away a million dollars, but both are
equally important. JYPI does a great job of
training teens in the skills of philanthropy,
whether giving $1 million or $20.

Q: How did you get involved in philanthropy?

When I came back to DC after college, my
friend knew I was interested in progressive
politics so he asked me to join a foundation
that supported community organizing. At the
first Board meeting, I noticed that nobody
was having fun, and I realized that this
organization had many internal flaws. That
foundation failed, but I learned a lot about
organizational dynamics from the experience.
My work with other national organizations
led me to the Jewish Funders Network
through which I met Jeffrey Dekro, who is
the founder of the Shefa Fund. The Shefa
Fund is a group that connects progressive
Jews to organizations that work for social
change. I worked with him to organize the
Tzedek Economic Development Fund, which
uses a microcredit model to support job
training and housing programs. I helped raise
$1 million for the Fund, which is now used as
a model for similar organizations around the
country.

Q: What advice would you give to JYPI teens
as they prepare to make funding decisions?

Think about what is important to you and
your values. Take into account what you know
about the world and what you have learned
from your time with JYPI, and look outside
of your own neighborhood to see where
support is most needed. Try to be involved
with the organizations that you support, even
after the grant-making process is complete.
Remember that philanthropy is only one part
of creating social change.

Q: As a Jewish philanthropist, how do you
resolve the conflict between supporting
Jewish and non-Jewish organizations?

I believe that Jewish teachings require support
for the entire community, both Jewish and
non-Jewish. I work in the Jewish community
because it is where I come from, but I support
secular organizations because of my personal
values. My support for DC Vote is an example
of my philosophy. I believe that without
political power, positive changes cannot be
made in DC. Even though the majority of the
residents of DC are not Jewish, it is important
to help DC do better, because DC is also my
community.

Daniel Solomon with Susie Gelman, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington